StuEP

I guess it depends on what you're buying, but for clothes I just shop in John Lewis or if I have to I head to down to Meadowhell. The Tram's not that expensive.

I took them to court through the government's Money Claim Online system and it cost me £25, which I got back. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a litigious person. Before taking them to court I made phones calls and wrote letters to the branch (who never even bothered replying) and then to the head office, but they just gave me the runaround. Sometimes you have to take a stand and I chose to do it after Debenhams made it clear they just didn't care. To this day there's still not been so much as an apology or assurance that someone was going to have a word with their staff about their attitude. But after reading some of the other posts, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I guess Debenhams must be raking in the profits not to care about their customers.

Funny you should mention John Lewis, as I've found them to be completely the opposite. I bought a pair of jeans a while back and they forgot to take off one of the security tags so I had to take it back. Not only did I get an apology, I also got a £5 gift token for the inconvenience. What a contrast!

With the recession still hitting us all hard and the news reporting that retail sales are down, you would think that businesses would be working all that much harder to keep their customers happy. Or at least abide by the law. But not so for the Debenhams in town. I bought a suit in October 2011 and after wearing it for just 1 day the stitching started to come undone. So naturally I took it back. Ive been wearing suits all my adult life and have never had one fall apart, let alone after 1 day. So I was amazed at the reception I got from Debenhams. First the woman behind the till couldn't deal with it and had to call over the salesman from the suit department, which I found strange. Then he basically tells me 'too bad, you've worn it'. Up to that point I would have considered a replacement but I was so appalled at his attitude that I wanted a refund and insisted on speaking to the store manager, but she was no better and refused a refund (which I was within my rights to request). Anyway, long story short, I finally got my money back but only after having had to take Debenhams to court and been granted a judgement against them. Obviously they have lost a customer. On the day I took back my suit there was another lady there trying to return a polo shirt. They refused the lady in the same way they refused me; by claiming that the seller was a concession and we had to take it up with them. The advice I received from Consumer Direct before going to court is that if the receipt says 'Debenhams', which it does, then it's for them to sort out and they shouldn't be directing customers to third parties. Let me also mention Debenhams' own returns policy, which they also ignored. So beware if you're planning on shopping at Debenhams. You may end being treated like me; by staff who are unhelpful, dismissive and unwilling to deal fairly with their customer.

I was wondering if someone out there has any experience or knowledge on getting private medical care following an accident? I was in a car crash about 14 months ago and injured my shoulder. Through the NHS it has taken until now to see an Orthopaedic Surgeon and delays at Northern General mean that I won't see the surgeon again until late January and they can't even give me a date for a scan as they appear to have issues with overtime. In the meantime it has become quite urgent that I get the problem properly diagnosed and treated. That means that if I am going to get help it is probably going to have to be privately. Although the third party admitted liability and I have legal cover on my insurance policy the solicitors appointed to help me are only interested in the PI claim and not my health. Does anyone know of anything I can do to get help? Thanks in advance Stuart